BlackBerry service outage
[Updated: 7:25] Having promised that mass outages would not happen again, BlackBerry maker RIM found itself scrambling today as its signature email service went dark across North America. BlackBerry users in Manhattan are reporting restored service, at least on AT&T's network. The company said at 5:20 that the problem was fixed, but that it would take some time to clear the backlog. Other such blackouts have gone on for much longer. RIM had promised this would not happen again.
From AP:
A major service outage afflicted users of the popular, addictive BlackBerry smart phones across the United States and Canada on Monday, wireless carriers said.And we'll have an update soon on how city government and hospitals are faring.Officials with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless said BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. told them customers of all wireless carriers were affected.
It was not immediately clear how many BlackBerry subscribers had problems, as some users reported being able to access their service normally Monday afternoon.
The BlackBerry service, which lets users check e-mail and access other data services on their handheld devices, has become a lifeline for many business executives and is increasingly popular
among consumers with models like the BlackBerry Pearl.There was no word what caused the outage or when service would be restored.
RIM officials did not return phone calls.Major disruptions have been rare but often provoke an angry backlash against the Canadian company because of its typically lengthy silences about the cause and because it eventually gives only
cryptic, jargon-laden explanations.When the BlackBerry service suffered a major outage last April, the company remained silent about the cause for two days.
In a statement, AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook said the company first learned about the problem from RIM at about 3:30 p.m. EST.
“This is not an issue with AT&T’s wireless network,” Cook said. “Customers could experience difficulties using their BlackBerry devices. RIM has not given us an estimated time of when this
problem would be fixed.”RIM is based on Waterloo, Ontario, and has deals with scores of wireless carriers to offer the BlackBerry service around the world.
More: Here's coverage from Engadget. And talk about bad timing, images were rolled out today of the CDMA version of its Curve phone.
-- Rolando Pujol
